In news : National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC) organized National Science Day recently
A brief note on National Science Day
National Science Day is celebrated in India on 28 February each year to mark the discovery of the Raman effect by Indian physicist Sir C. V. Raman on 28 February 1928.
Awards
Following awards are presented on the occasion of National Science Day;
- National Award for Outstanding Efforts in Science & Technology Communication
- Appreciation Shield for National S&T Databases
- AWSAR Award
- SERB Women Excellence Award
About National Council for Science and Technology Communication (NCSTC)
- NCSTC, DST acts as a nodal agency to support, catalyze and coordinate the celebration of the National Science Day throughout the country in scientific institutions, research laboratories, and autonomous scientific institutions associated with the Ministry of Science and Technology.
- NCSTC is mandated to communicate Science and Technology to masses, stimulate scientific and technological temper and coordinate and orchestrate such efforts throughout the country.
- The programmes of NCSTC aim at building capacity for informed decision making in the community and promote scientific thinking.
- It is devoted towards societal upliftment through the dissemination of scientific knowledge in an informed manner and builds programmes with the help of different media which percolate down to every nook and corner of the society.
- The Department of Science & Technology(DST) also instituted National Awards for Science Popularization in 1987 to stimulate, encourage and recognize outstanding efforts in the area of science and technology communication and popularization as well as inculcating scientific temper among masses. These awards are presented every year on National Science Day
Focus of NCSTC
- The NCSTC focuses on outreach activities, training in Science and Technology communication, development, production & dissemination of S & T software, incentive programmes, and field based Sci-Com projects, research in S&T communication, international cooperation, motivating students and teachers, environment awareness and programmes with a special component exclusively for women.
Important successful initiatives
Some of its important successful initiatives, over the years include the campaigns over the Year of Scientific Awareness, Year of Physics, Year of Astronomy, Year of Mathematics, observation of the National Science Day and National Mathematics Day, the National Children’s Science Congress, National Teachers Science Congress, and Science Express etc.
A multi- pronged effort has been developed by the NCSTC including:
- Communicating science using folk media
- Use of mass & digital media for science communication and popularization
- Use of Social media in science and Technology Popularization
